FAQ

In addition to answers to questions, the FAQ section also contains other topics of interest, such as medical studies pertaining to chiropractic, nutrition, rehabilitation, and other health-related issues. If you have a question that you'd like answered here on the 'FAQ' page, please let us know.

Please also check out our blog 'Body at Work', as you might find a lot of useful information there...please feel free to write us to request a topic you'd like to see addressed in the blog.  

Question:  Dr. Manison, I have sometimes heard that there is an increased risk of getting a stroke with chiropractic manipulation.  Is there any truth to this?

Answer:  This is a great question that remained truly unanswered until a few years ago. In February, 2008, a conclusive study was published in Spine (a medical journal, not a chiropractic journal) that basically put this issue to rest.  It involved 109 million case studies over a 9 year period.  The verdict is clear:  Chiropractic manipulation is safe and does not increase your risk for stroke any more than care from your primary care doctor.  Being that chiropractic care is safe, effective, and more conservative than most forms of medical intervention for neck pain, headaches, etc..., you should consider chiropractic care at the top of your list for such issues. Please follow the link below to see the abstract on pubmed for this study. This study should put the concern of VBA strokes and chiropractic to rest.

Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care: Results of a Population-based Case-control and Case-crossover Study.

Question:  Dr. Manison, I recently went to a chiropractic office where they insisted on taking many x-rays and then proceeded to schedule me for 3 times a week for 6 weeks, then 2 times a week for 6 weeks, and then told me they'd do an evaluation and determine the rest of my care plan at that time.  Is this a normal care plan?

Answer:  NO, this is unequivocally not a normal care plan.  In regards to x-rays, many chiropractors still take them.  Sometimes there is a need, but most times there is not.  I prefer to send out for x-rays and/or MRIs when there is a medical need for such.  Exposing patients to radiation is not always warranted.  In addition, given that I implement the Cox technic and a lot of advanced soft tissue techniques, often times I prefer MRIs as x-rays do not tell us about discs or soft tissues. 

In regards to the treatment plan, we do not practice this way.  Each patient's care plan is specifically geared toward his/her needs.  Any office that has cookie cutter treatment plans is most likely not properly addressing your individual needs.  Although, on occasion, injuries are severe enough to warrant 3 treatments a week (or more), most often being treated this frequently is not necessary.  Certainly, 3 treatments a week for long periods of time should not be necessary.  In addition, how can a provider know how long it is going to take to resolve your issues?  I question how any provider can schedule a patient out 12 weeks on the first visit.  Treatment plans should be made according to your needs and progress.  Anything less is likely not a proper approach to your condition(s).

Question:  Dr. Manison, the last chiropractor I saw treated me for my low back pain.  He did help me a decent amount, but he recommended that I continue care weekly to maintain those results.  He said that I'd likely need to receive care for years.  Is it necessary for me to need continual care for years to come?

Answer:  The answer to this question is a resounding 'NO'!  The job of the chiropractor is help the patient with their musculoskeletal problem(s) and teach them how to take care of themselves so that they will not need continual care.  Too many chiropractors are not trained in advanced soft tissues techniques and/or rehabilitative/stability exercises.  Because of this, their ability to help the patient is limited.  This limitation means that the patient will need excessive care and will not truly achieve optimal results.  A chiropractor should not only be well-versed in the treatment of the joints, but also in the soft tissues and how to address them properly in order to maximize patient results. 

Question:  Dr. Manison, my primary care physician advised me to avoid activity and rest until the pain in my low back goes away.  The problem is that I have had recurring low back for years.  You advise improving biomechanics and restoring proper movement mechanics. I'm a little confused...which is better for me?

Answer:  Unfortunately, too many doctors who do not have proper training in a specific area of study offer their opinions without any factual basis.  This is bad for the patient as lack of proper care can result in complications going forward.  Just as you wouldn't want to see a chiropractor for a kidney problem, you'd be better served listening to a chiropractor when it comes to neuromusculoskeletal issues.   See the abstract below regarding this topic...it supports what I am referring to and is a good read.

Doctors with a special interest in back pain have poorer knowledge about how to treat back pain.

Question: I have had a desk job for years and when looking at my x-rays, it looks like I don't have a curve in my neck. Is this normal and can this lack of a curve be causing any of my neck pain? Can chiropractic care help with these issues?

Answer: It is not normal to lack a cervical lordosis and care should be geared, at least in part, to helping restore a proper lordosis so that the cervical spine can function as it should. In regards to your pain, when we lose the cervical lordosis, we are not only creating biomechanical stress but we are also 'stretching' the spinal cord, and this can create all types of undesirable effects. Chiropractic care can help to restore proper biomechanics and that will help to reduce pain. From that point, exercises and cervical extension/compression traction can be used to stabilize the upper back/neck and help restore a proper cervical lordosis.

Please read the abstract below about the curve in your neck in regards to degeneration.

Kinematic analysis of the relationship between sagittal alignment and disc degeneration in the cervical spine.

Question: I am not too famliar with Dry Needling. How is it different from Acupunture? Is it used to treat the same conditions?

Answer: This is a great question. The only similarity between Dry Needling and Acupunture is the instrument, or the needle. Acupunture is based upon the meridian system, with points that are always there. Dry Needling only deals with actiive, pathological soft tissue problems, such as Trigger Points. So, the two systems have nothing in common with the approach. Dry Needling has current research (and more added each month) demonstrating its success with a whole host of musculoskeletal problems. Below is a great recent study that illustrates this point...

The Effect of Dry Needling in The Treatment of Myofascial Pain...

Question: I have been taking supplements I purchased from another chiropractor and on 'your scanner', it showed that my score was 27,000. What does that mean?

Answer: Simply put, your supplements are not working for you. As my father-in-law states, you might as well skip the middle man and throw your money directly into the toilet and flush. This sounds harsh, but it is true. As you will hear on TV and on the internet, when you take supplements, you tend to have expensive urine. If you are spending a lot of money on supplements and your score is 27,000, this is validating the fact that you are not getting anything out of your current product. The scanner is assessing dermal carotenoids. The Dermal carotenoid level, as determined by hard science (including NIH, Yale University and many others), is THE biomarker of health and nutritional status. There is simply no way around this. You are not what you eat...you are what you absorb. If you don't check the absorption of your supplements on a regular basis, how do you justify taking them? This was a concern until Pharmanex...the only company on the market with a scientifically validated way to assess fruit/vegetable/supplement absorption. This is not a matter of opinion, it is fact. If you are scoring low on the Raman Spectrometer and are taking supplements, you don't need to waste your money anymore. You can take a product that is guaranteed to absorb so that you get the benefits you are paying for.